february 2012
because even when i don't have my camera, i am always taking pictures.

(tracy, i owe you one. xoxo)

tess still loves her "baby jane," all day long.

after sara jane's smashing introduction to solids three weeks ago, i think this is the one other time i actually 

got some food into her. she just hasn't been feeling good with her ear infections and antibiotics and every time i offer her food, she tells me very politely that she would just rather not. my poor sweet girl.

we have surgery scheduled to put tubes in her ears a week from today. this mama is feeling anxious and ready to get it over with. i know she needs the surgery done, but it's general anesthesia and i can't feed her for SIX hours before the surgery. oh, man. i'm not sure she's gone three hours between feedings once...since birth. seriously. the surgery is an add-on case and won't be until the late afternoon...i think it's going to be a long day.

on a brighter note, she is rocking on her hands and knees and looking so very close to crawling. she can

scoot backwards anywhere she wants, until she gets lodged under furniture. i have a feeling the baby gates are going to be up soon.

(perfect)

erin blowing out her birthday candles.

(a word of advice to my photographer friends....
get the birthday kid the sparkle candles that re-light
after she blows them out. it gives you way more
often missed photo-taking opportunities!!)

the girls had their beginner debut on saturday. they had so much fun showing us their dance.
i admit that i am not loving the hype of irish dancing....it seems like a lot of pressure and a ton
of preparation....but this was a very sweet little debut and i was a very proud mama.

make a wish, birthday girl....
you are finally five!

tomorrow my sweet blonde girl turns five.
it's hard to believe that the first little sister is going to be that old.

she asked me today if i remember when she used to be three.

i remember.

i remember the joy of that positive pregnancy test in the middle of the night.
i remember getting the due date of my birthday, and deciding
to name a girl erin elizabeth, after her mama and her aunt.
i remember my huge belly, and dancing around the living room with kate,
trying to convince that little baby to come out.
i remember a hard, fast labor....
i remember tears of joy because it was another girl.
i remember a calm baby, who slept through the night at 12 weeks.
i remember sweet blonde curls,
huge blue eyes,
puppies, and more puppies, and sweater puppy.
i remember when she was a baby, in the bathtub, and how she used to
purposely go under water.
now, in the pool, it's hard to get her to come up for air.
i remember her first steps.
i remember when she got her first scooter, on her third birthday....
how those wheels gave her confidence and speed and joy.
i remember her first day of k3.
i remember her first day of k4.
i remember her becoming a big sister, three times.
i remember her asking grandma and grandpa when they would have a baby.
i remember her doing her irish dance routine for me and dan,
and telling us that we are supposed to smile.
i remember that she is a friend to kate and annie's best playmate.
i remember that she chases tess around the house to make her laugh.
i remember how she figured how to make sara jane laugh,
over and over and over.

i remember, erin.
i remember all five sweet years of you.

my littlest valentine.
xoxo

fun and games

it's marathon week in the hemsworth house.....

piano lessons
valentines day parties (times five)
dance class
swimming lessons
one sweet blonde girl turning five
grandparents to come celebrate
furniture delivery (well, i had to throw that in here.)
irish dance debut for two little girls
followed up by a baptism for one sweet little niece.
(oh, and another year older for this mama.)

i hope to keep my humor high,
my wine intake low.
oh, come on. or within reason.
my girls healthy,
and my wits about me.

wish me luck....
i think i'm gonna need it.

(kate and tess discovered an open door. i could barely take
the pictures i was laughing so hard.)

annie girl, usually with wings or a princess dress of some sort,
and a blanket and kitty following close behind,
and the thumb?
we always know where the thumb is.

i took the little girls to the good doctor this morning for sara's 6 month check-up.
we left knowing that tess has pneumonia and sara has (her fourth) double ear infection.

ouch.

my sweet girl.

sara jane is six months old today! i can say with 100% certainty that this little sweetie has been the
perfect completion to our family. she is easy tempered and very go with the flow and completely
adored by her four big sisters and parents. she now rolls across rooms and only protests when
she gets stuck under furniture. she thinks her sisters are hilarious and gives them lots of good belly
laughs when they entertain her. she does this weird inhale happy noise that i've never heard any other
baby do and is completely her own. if she slept through the night, she'd be the perfect baby. oh, i didn't
just say that.....did I?

i'll keep her.....every 2 hour feedings and all!

the other evening we gave little sister her first taste of solid food.  she had decidedly waited long

enough and lapped it up like a baby bird.

heaven.

happy birthday today to my wonderful dad,
loved so wholeheartedly here by his one girl,
and five little girls,
and i think dan, too.

xoxoxo

giggly baby with her big sister kate.

almost six month baby....
loves the giraffe.